At least five dead after whale watching boat sinks off British Columbia coast

The search and rescue effort in Tofino, B.C.

(Image credit: Twitter.com/CTVVancouver)

last updated 26 October 2015

A whale watching boat carrying 27 passengers capsized Sunday afternoon off the coast of Tofino, British Columbia, and the B.C. Coroner's Service says at least five people died in the accident.

B.C.'s Joint Rescue Coordination Center said the vessel made a mayday call shortly before 4 p.m., and a search-and-rescue mission was immediately launched. Before the search was called off due to nightfall, 21 survivors were found, the JRCC says, while one person remains missing. The boat belongs to Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centers, CTV reports, which runs whale watching tours out of Tofino.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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